In a nutshell: Valve's Steam Deck is not the most compact handheld on the market, but it's not what most would consider unwieldy, either. Good luck arguing that point to Crastinator-pro, however, as the modder recently detailed steps taken to delete most everything from the Steam Deck that makes it a handheld.
The result is the Steam Brick, a handheld that has been transformed into a home console out of necessity. According to the modder, the stock Steam Deck proved too chunky to fit in his backpack, took up a "huge" amount of carry-on space, and was a hassle to retrieve from the overhead compartment during air travel.
He also only uses the handheld with AR glasses or connected to a TV, so the integrated screen was sort of a waste. Without the display and built-in controls, the system could be much more portable… and that soon became the goal.
Crastinator-pro outlined the modding process on GitHub, prefacing it with a simple statement: "I am not a smart man." Indeed, turning a standalone handheld into something that requires additional hardware to use might not seem logical to everyone, but the end result is impressive. Best yet, it doesn't appear overly complicated to replicate.
The fast and dirty – disassemble the Steam Deck, disconnect and remove the unneeded components from the motherboard (the display and controls), chop off part of a support bracket, and install the remaining bits into a custom 3D printed chassis.
The modded Steam Deck routes video out through its USB port, and peripherals can be connected via an external dock. As for battery life, Crastinator-pro said play time using the AR glasses is comparable to using the unmodded system with the screen on.
Crastinator-pro leaned heavily on iFixit's repair guides and component replacement tutorials, so that would be a good place to start if you are interested in doing something similar. Looking ahead, the modder is considering adding a modular "hat" with a secondary battery and a USB hub for expanded runtime and improved peripheral connectivity.
Modder turns Steam Deck handheld into a screen-free, controller-less mini PC
